Malt-plow



(No Model.) 2 Sneets-Sheet' 1.

A. MUNTZENBERGER.

' MALT PLOW.

No. 476,293. Patented June 7, 1892.

m: NORRIS ws-ruus cm, Puorummm, wAsnmaTon, uc.

(No Model) v 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.. A. MUNTZENBERGER.

MALT PLOW.

No. 476,293. q Patented June 7, 1892.

m2 Nonms swans 120., mmnvumov, WASHINGYDN, n. c.

UNIT STATES PATENT QFFICFM ADOLPH MUNTZENBERGER, on HARVARD, ILLINOIS.

MALT-PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,293, dated June 7,1892.

Application filed July 27, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ADOLPH MUNTZENBER- GER, of Harvard, in the county ofMcHeury and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Malt-Flows; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and usethe same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The main object of my invention is to facilitate the stirring andagitation of malt and .to effectively separate and distribute the sameduring the processes of germination and drying.

It consists, essentially, of a carriage adapted to travel back and forthover the malt-floor, an obliquely-arranged plow-beam mounted upon saidcarriage and provided with a gang of plows, together with certainpeculiarities of construction and arrangement hereinafter particularlydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts inthe several figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a malt-plow embodying my improvements. Fig. 2is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an end elevation, and Fig. 4is a detail showing one of the jointed ends of the plow-beam and themanner of raising and holding the same in an elevated position.

A represents a frame, which may be constructed of timber or any othersuitable material in rectangular or other suitable form. It is providedat the ends with flanged or grooved wheels a co, adapted to run upontracks 13 B, provided for the purpose at the sides of the malt-floor. Cis the plow-beam mounted obliquely upon said frame, in which it iscapable of endwise movement. The plow-beam may be constructed of timberor any other suitable material and attached to the frame or carriage inany suitable manner, so as to permit of its longitudinal movement. Aconvenient construction for the purpose is shown in the drawings, andconsists of cutfierial N0.400,795| (No model.)

ting the side beams of the carriage A obliquely to receive the plow-beamG and of connecting the obliquely-cut ends of the carriage-beams byyokes D D, which are arched upwardly to permit of the shanks or stems ofthe plows to pass under the same in shifting the plow-beamlongitudinally. These yokes are bolted to the top of the carriage-frameA with plates cl d on the under side, through which the bolts pass, saidyokes and plates projecting over the oblique ends of the carriage-beams,so as to embrace the sides of the plow-beam C and hold and guide thesame in place.

E E are the plows or shovels constructed of galvanized iron or othersuitable material approximately in the form of the mold-board of anordinary plow. When constructed of iron or metal, the materialpreferably employed for the purpose, the lower edges of the plows orshovels are provided with detachable strips 6 e, of wood, rubber, orother suitable material, which will not abrade the maltfloor or be asliable to mutilate and injure the malt. They are formed or provided withvertical stems or shanks e e, by means of which they are attached atsuitable intervals to the beam 0.

To provide for the movement of the machine in opposite directions and toadapt it to irregularities and inequalities in the fioor which ittraverses, the several plows or shovels are made reversible andvertically movable.

The plow-beam G is provided on the upper side with vertically-notchedsleeves F F, in which the shanks e e of the plows are loosely inserted,said shanks 6 being provided with cross-pins or lateral projections 6 6which when the plows rest normally on the maltfioor engage the notchesin said sleeves, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby holding the several plowsin their proper working positions and at the same time permitting oftheir free vertical movement independent of each other to conform to theirregularities in the surface of the malt-floor. By the oblique positionof the plow-beam each plow F. is brought in advance of the one next toit, so as not to interfere with the turning of the material by thelatter. In order to cause the several plows to traverse different pathswhen the movement of the machine is reversed, .the beam G is madelongitudinally movable in the-frame or carriage A.

To shift the plow-beam lengthwise when the movement of the machine isreversed, any suitable mechanism may be employed. I have shown asconvenient for the purpose a segment-gear G, engaging a rack g on theplow-bean1 and journaled upon a stud on a cross-girt of frame A andprovided with a lever-arm g, by which the gear may be operated and theplows shifted laterally in either direction. \Vhen shifted and properlyadjusted, the plow-beam is held in place by a pin passing through thearm g into one of a series of holes in frame A or by any other suitablelocking device. The vertical notches in the sleeves F extenddiametrically through them, and the plows are reversed by raising themuntil the pin a clears said notches, and turning them half-way round, inwhich reversed positions the pins will again drop into and engage withsaid notches, thereby holding the plows in their proper working pos tionfor the reverse movement of the machine.

By providing a series of perforations in the frame A or an adjustablefastening for holding the plow-beams in place the plows may be adjustedlaterally, so as to traverse the desired paths through the material,thus facilitating the effectual turning of the malt in oppositedirections and its thorough agitation.

As it is sometimes desirable to turn and agitate the malt along thecenter 'of the floor more than at the edges, I joint the plow-beam 0near each end and provide it with hinges, whereby either or both of theend sections may be turned up, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to carry theplows or shovels E E attached thereto out of contact With the malt.

The hook c and eyes or staples 0 may be employed for holding the hingedend sections of the plow-beam in their elevated position, and when theyare lowered into working position they may be held in place by hooks cswiveled in the plow-beam and arranged to be turned over and across thehook c, as shown in Fig. 1.

For the purpose of moistening the malt in the process of germinating, Iprovide the machine with a water-tank I'Lwhich is suspended from abail-shaped rod h, hinged at its ends to frame A, so as to be shifted inposition when the movement of the machine is reversed.

h' is a tube or pipe attached to the watertank H crosswise of themalt-floor and extending approximately from end to end of the machine.Itis formed with a series of small perforations, through which the Wateris sprinkled in fine jets or streams upon the grain just behind theplow.

A cock h affords means for regulating and controlling the supply ofwater from the tank H to the perforated pipe 72., constituting thesprinkler.

Any suitable propelling mechanism or connections may be employed formoving the machine back and forth over the malt-floor. I have shown inFig. 3 as suitable for the purpose a cable I, attached at the ends tothe frame of the machineand passing over drums or sheaves K K, locatedat or near the ends of the malt-floor, one of said drums or sheavesbeing connected in any suitable manner to a convenient source of power.

Various changes in the details of construction may be made within theintended scope of my invention;

I claim 1. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a carriage adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor and a gang of plows providedwith vertical stems, which are freely movable lengthwise in verticalapertures in said carriage, substantially as and for the purposes setforth- 2. The combination,in a malt-plow, of acarriage adapted to travelback and forth over the maltfloor and provided at the sides with wheels,ways for said wheels at the sides of the malt-floor, and a plow-beamobliquely mounted upon said carriage and provided with a gang of freelyvertically-movable plows, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a carriage provided with aplow-beam longitudinally adjustable in said carriage transversely to thetravel of the plow and a gang of plows attached to said beam,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a carriage adapted to travel backand forth over the malt-floor and provided with a plow-beam oblique toits line of travel and a gang of plows provided with vertical stems,which are freely movable lengthwise in vertical apertures in said beamand capable of being turned therein for reversing the plow, said stemsbeing held from turning when the plows are in operation by keys whichpermit of their free vertical movement, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

5. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable frame adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor and a gang of reversible andvertically adjustable plows, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

6. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable frame adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor, a plow-beam mounted obliquelyupon said frame and adjustable longitudinally therein, and a gang ofplows attached to said beam, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

7. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable frame adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor,a plow-beam mounted obliquelyand longitudinally adjustable in or upon said frame and provided with agang of plows reversibly connected therewith,substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

8. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable frame adapted totravelback and IIO forth over the malt-floor and a longitudinally adjustableplow beam mounted obliquely upon said frame and provided with reversibleand vertically adjustable plows, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

9. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable frame adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor and a plow-beam mounted uponsaid frame and provided with a gang of plows, said beam being jointed soas to permit of raising a part of the plows out of contact with themalt, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

10. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable frame adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor and provided with a gang ofreversible plows and a sprinkler adj ustably connected with said frame,so as to be shifted in the direction of travel of the machine when itsmovement is reversed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

11. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable carriage adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor on ways provided for thepurpose,a plow-beam mounted upon said frame and provided at suitableintervals with vertical sleeves longitudinally notched or slotted, and agang of plows provided with upwardly-extending cylindrical shanks, whichare loosely inserted in said sleeves and provided with lateralprojections adapted to engage the notches or slots therein, so as to permit of the free vertical movement of said plows and to hold the same inproper working position, substantially as and for the pur poses setforth.

12. The combination, in a malt-plow, of a suitable carriage adapted totravel back and forth over the malt-floor on ways provided therefor, agang of freely vertically-movable plows attached to said carriage, and acable passing over drums at or near the ends of the malt-floor andattached to said carriage, so as to move the same back and forth,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

13. The oombinatiomin a plow for turning malt, of suitable Ways, acarriage adapted to travel on said ways over the malt-floor, and a gangof freely vertically-movable plows connected therewith and eachconsisting of a metallic mold-board provided at the lower edge with astrip of wood or other equivalent material which will not abrade themalt-floor, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

ADOLPl-I MUN TZENBERGER.

Witnesses:

STUART SAUNDERS, J. J. PAUNTAIN.

